It is common practice for shipping and handling purposes to wind relatively stiff wire such as electrical cable into spires forming torus shaped coils which are later unwinded during installation of the wire.
Since the spires forming the coils are made of relatively stiff material, they are characterized by a radial outward urge to unwind. During shipping and handling, the coil is prevented from unwinding by a set of straps tied around the spires. The straps which encircle the spires are spacedly disposed around the coil along planes parallel to the radius of the coil.
Conventional structures used to house the coil during the unwinding operation include boxes having a front aperture parallel to the plane of the coil and located adjacent the longitudinal axis of the coil through which the innermost spire is pulled out.
When the coil is positioned inside the box, the straps are removed and the spires located as the outer periphery of the coil resiliently abutt against the walls of the box which restrain their radial urge to unwind.
One of the main problems encountered with this type of structure is that, since the coil does not rotate, the wire has a tendency to twist helicoidally on itself as it is being pulled. The wire being relatively stiff it has a tendency to resiliently untwist, this situation thus creates a potential hazard for the person pulling on the coil as it is being unwinded.
Various structures such as the ones described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,448,490; 3,673,627 and 3,662,421 have been proposed to rotatably unwind relatively stiff material such as sewer cleaner snakes. However, these structures are both relatively complex and cumbersome.
Accordingly, the present invention relates to a reel for unwinding a coil of relatively stiff material from the innermost spire. The reel restrains the outward radial urge of unwinding the coil while allowing the coil to rotate as it is being unwinded so that the wire will not helicoidally twist unto itself.
Furthermore, the reel embodying the present invention is of simple construction in order to provide an unwinding mechanism which is economical and easy to use.